


A Safe, Good Nights Rest

by cleopatraslibrary



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bucky Barnes Gets a Hug, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Gen, Guilt, Honestly I have no idea when this takes place, Hurt Bucky Barnes, I just wanted shameless hurt/comfort, M/M, Not Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie) Compliant, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Suicidal Thoughts, Tony Stark Has A Heart, breakdowns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-13
Updated: 2019-09-13
Packaged: 2020-10-17 21:22:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20627744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cleopatraslibrary/pseuds/cleopatraslibrary
Summary: Tony checks on the Tower's stalker. Crying ensues.(Can be seen as either Bucky/Tony or platonic.)





	A Safe, Good Nights Rest

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Marvel or any of these characters. I'm just borrowing them. Thanks, please don't sue me. I'm having a hard enough time as it is.
> 
> Unbeta'd and unedited. Will edit at a later date.
> 
> Please enjoy! I hope y'all like it. This is technically my first winteriron fic posted, but I have a ton of wips, so this won't be the last of this ship!

“Are you here to kill me?” Barnes asked, his voice quiet, and accepting. He was standing stock still in front of Tony, his shoulders hunched and his face drawn and weary.

Tony stared at him before he lifted the face-plate of his suit. “No, actually, I was just wondering what the Winter Soldier--” Barnes flinched. “--was doing, stalking the Tower. I noticed, along with my ever seeing AI, that you've been here for the past two weeks. Plus, the Star Spangled man without a plan had asked me to look for you, and imagine my surprise when I didn’t have to look so far as outside my bedroom window. I haven't told him yet, by the way, so you must know how you've peaked my curiosity.” As delicately as he could muster, Tony landed the suit a good five feet away from Barnes. “Now, my question is: why would I kill you? Even though you_ have _ been stalking the Tower, why would that be a capital offense?”

At that, Barnes’s face just… crumbled. _Mental note, don't joke with assassins before you know their head space_. “I killed so many innocent people. I’ve killed, and slaughtered, and tortured, all in the name of HYDRA. I… you’re Howard’s kid." Tony froze. _Was Barnes going to--?_ "I killed him. I didn’t hesitate. Please,” he suddenly begged, hopelessness coloring his broken accent. “Please kill me.”

Thank God Steve had told him about Howard when he initially came to him about Barnes. He’d already had time to reprocess the grief and accept that Barnes couldn’t control his actions while under HYDRA’s brain-washings. He didn’t know how he’d react if that were one of the first things Barnes had said to him.

Well, then again, he told Tony he killed his father in the same breath he asked him to kill him. He didn’t know how he’d respond to any of that.

“No,” Tony said calmly. He took a deep breath. “I’m not going to kill you.”

Barnes’s eyes widened. He blinked rapidly, before Tony realized, to his dawning horror, that Barnes was trying not to cry.

And was failing.

He let out a keening sob when the tears finally began to fall. “Pl-- pl-- please, you have to kill me, angel.” Tony startled. “Please, have mercy on my soul. I was already sent to Hell once; it can’t be any worse the second time around. I can face it again.” His knees shook, and buckled beneath him, and he fell forward. Tony didn't dare move. Barnes broke eye contact as he tilted his head down. “Please kill me,” he whispered to the ground. “Please, please, _please_…”

_Don't get out of the suit, don't get out of the suit, don't get out of the suit_, Tony mantra’d to himself as he stepped out of the suit. He took a few steps forward and knelt down next to Barnes, his hand hovering awkwardly in the air; he wanted to console him, but it definitely wouldn’t be a good idea to startle him.

Tony listened to Barnes’s frantic mutterings. “Steve won’t kill me. He outright refused when I asked. I know the Widow _ wants _ to kill me, but she’s loyal to Steve and wouldn’t betray his trust. But I could feel her eyes on me, sometimes; the way her eyes tracked over me, like a hunter watching its prey. Watching. Biding its time. I just want--” He let out a wet breath. “I just want to die,” he whimpered.

“Barnes--” He tensed and Tony tried again. “Bucky, can I… May I touch you? Would it be okay if I--” He was cut off when Barnes launched himself into Tony’s surprised but welcoming embrace, wrapping his right arm tightly around his waist, and his metal one continuing to loosely fall by his side, as if he were refusing to let it touch Tony. He pressed his face into the crook of Tony’s neck and cried, warm tears running down his face and onto Tony’s neck and shirt, probably ruining the soft fabric.

Tony didn’t mind.

Carefully, he returned the hug, gently running his fingers through Barnes' oily hair. “It’s okay to cry," he murmured soothingly. At least, he hoped it was soothing. "Just let it out, I know it hurts. I know. Let it all out, Buckaroo.” He rubbed the nape of Barnes’s neck, grounding him. He knew he appreciated it when Jarvis did that to him. 

They sat there for a long time, curled together, one providing comfort to the other.

Barnes regained himself after awhile, his cries turning into whimpers, his whimpers turning into unsteady breaths, his unsteady breaths evening out until it was just a warm exhale tickling Tony’s neck.

Tony was reluctant to break the silence, but--

“Why don't you come back to the Tower?” Barnes tensed in his arms. “At least for a hot meal and a safe, good night’s rest, if not for longer. It’s okay to accept help.”

Barnes began to pull away, and Tony disentangled his fingers with his hair. He made sure to mask his disappointment, _which was only for Steve’s sake_, he told himself, before he realized Barnes had only moved so he could look at Tony in the eyes. “You serious?” he asked thickly.

Tony nodded. “Of course. You could stay as long as you like, if you want to, but if you don't want to, that’s fine, I just want to make sure you get something to eat before you go aga--” Barnes pulled him in for another hug, effectively cutting Tony off.

“Okay,” he mumbled next to Tony’s ear. 

Tony smiled and tightened his grip. “Okay.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hi y'all. 
> 
> I have so many winteriron wips, holy shit. But I'm not planning on posting any until they're completed so they may never be posted. 
> 
> Anyway. This is some shameless self projection. Too many things are happening right now and I'm so fucking depressed and really want to die, but I can't die, so instead I wrote some sad Bucky to ease my own heart. It kind of worked. Lmao.
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed! Please leave me feedback, I'd love to know what you think. 
> 
> Have a good day/night, Lexi <3


End file.
